What is not to love about this!
Not only is it beautiful in glossy magazines with models wearing it, it turns out as beautiful in hand, and on body! Thank you Kaffe Fassett! You are brilliant.
Anyone that contemplates making this and is worried about the ends?
a). It’s well worth it.
b). Use two techniques, one of which I didn’t know when I started.
1). When changing color, just add the new 1 or 2 colors in at the end of the row without cutting off the old 1 or 2, and knit 4 more stitches of the next row using both the new and old, then cut off the old colors. This makes for four thick stitches, but they are not noticeable in this fabric.
2). Russian Join. But not all youtube’s show you the version I mean. Use the Russian Join where you loop the ends like a horseshoe together, back on each other; not the Russian join where you thread a needle and pierce the core of the yarn, hiding the yarn end that way which won’t work for Kidsilk Haze.
And remember--it’s worth 2 or 3 nights of weaving in ends, if you don’t like the above techniques.
Lastly, I made this a cowl by adding small eyelet button holes across one end and made this wider than the pattern called for, as wide a my shoulders, so it would cover me as an airline blanket all the way from chin to toes for those chilly altitudes. Sorta like a lap blanket on steroids. It will pack and travel well, and when I have to stand up to exit the plane, I can quickly button it back into a cowl.
A special message to Kaffe Fassett and my long, wordy diary follows. Cheers to All!
09-02-2016 Reaching into the Stash
660 Turkish Plum instead of Hurricane 632
Shibui Silk Cloud Bordeaux 2018 instead of Blustery 668
658 Fudge
629 for Forest Green 651
Shibui Silk Cloud 220 Peony for Candy 606
666 Alhambra
589 Majestic
597 for Trance 582
651 for Jelly 597
583 Blushes
Note: I’m alternating Color B, using Silk Cloud Bordeaux and Rowan Kidsilk Haze 628 Cocoa. Why? Because I wanted a bit more brown tones in the overall wrap.
Lessons Learned:
I’m only about 35 rows into this and I’ve learned:
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The subtleness of the stripes is due to them being done with gradients such as a). light green changes to dark green just before an abrupt color change. This gradient is done with one of the two plies of color being used at the time. So the stripe starts with say gray and light green for a couple rows and then the light green changes to a dark green for 2 more rows.
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The impact of the stripes is due to color value. As in the item above the gradient leads from light to dark for the greenish stripe and then sudden hits the next stripe that is a dark to light gradient, say red-brown in color to a medium red. So two stripes are made one with increasing darkness, color change, then decreasing to a lighter color.
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There is a base color which softens the color changes at the same time. This is like music playing when one set of instruments quits and another takes up but there is a set of instruments playing in both places. The gray in this is used to transition, aka be a base, to the many of the color changes. 1 ply of gray is used to draw the eye across those.
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I’m surmising that a neutral is key to also the overall impact of the piece, allowing sections to brighten, but the neutral allows dissimilar or jarring colors to transition is an infinitely pleasing way. The gray, the gold in this. I’m thinking of adding more brown or tans in places as I go.
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In dealing with ends, I’m starting to knit the ending color back into the next few stitches of the next row while at the same time carrying the new color with it. Then just snip the old color off. This is not that noticeable with all these color changes going on and additionally this is giving this fabric a bit of more solid, less rolling edge, which I like. But still…
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…but still I have some stray ends where I introduced the new 1-ply into the mix. I didn’t want to carry it with the ending color into the first few stitches, as I worried about getting too thick. Ok so I let it dangle until the next time I returned to that edge and then I knit it back into the row. The carry up the side is not really visible in this piece.
09-16-2016
I need to buy a 3rd ball of Color G, Majestic. I’m not quite halfway and I’m out.
09-25-2016
I’m into the second repeat and this is looking spectacular.
08-31-2017
Picked up again a couple days ago. I had finished the 2nd full repeat and ended on row 35 as the Cast Off.
I’m very excited as this is going to be multi-purpose - a wrap, a cowl, and an airplane blanket! I’m also excited about the selection of buttons I’ll add to it and it’s cute little buttonholes.
Unblocked, it’s about 57” x 23.5” (145 cm x 60 cm). As I started the final Row 31 (3rd pass), I added 9 buttonholes and will sew on buttons.
Wrap: When unbuttoned and spread out, the rolling edges like to cling to my body if I’m sitting down and spread it out from chin to toes, hugging me. This will be great on an airplane. The kid silk is do light it will pack easily as I travel.
Cowl: By adding buttonholes across the bottom width and sewing on buttons, button the ends together and allow the fabric to fold in half and edges roll in, it makes a sumptuous, light weight cowl.
Spacing of Buttonholes:
Counted # of Stitches = 124. Opps I originally CO 120 which means four time I accidentally split a 2 ply stitch on the end and increased 1 stitch into 2. No big deal as I can’t detect the stitch increase along the length of the project.
To place markers for where the button hole will be - I wanted the first button in from the 2 edges to be about 10 stitches in. That takes care of 2 button, 124 sts - 20 sts - 104 stitches. The divides into even groups of 13 stitches between button holes for the middle. Translation: 10 stitches, pm, 13 sts, pm, continue counting off 13 sts and pm,until 10 sts remain, pm before the last 10 sts. Each marker indicates a button hole location, and there are 9 total.
Buttons:
- Nine 1/4” (I need to double check that) width buttons from my button stash.
- I love that I didn’t have enough of a single color, so I am making them a Gradient colors. See photo - 4 purple, followed by 3 tan, followed by 2 tan-cream.
Buttonholes:
1. From Principals of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt (Revised Edition 2012), “Even Smaller Eyelet Buttonhole” using a Left Decrease Version (p. 132). This translates to 2-stitches before marker do SSK, then work an Open Running Thread Increase of 1 stitch (p.211), where I knit the stitch picked up under the bar using the LH needle from front to back to grab the bar as a stitch; repeat, I knit that picked up bar stitch, slipped the marker, and then repeat buttonhole at each marker.
Lots to do yet:
- weave in ends
- add edge (maybe). Pattern calls for crochet edge
- press
- sew buttons on
9/16/2017
I finished! I woven in all the ends after pressing, crocheted an edge around it, but it doesn’t seem to help stop the rolling much, but I don’t mind the rolling with this. I attempted to edge the buttonholes, but nothing seemed satisfactory, so I just sewed a small ‘tack’ at each hole with regular sewing thread. This gives me something to feel for when I want to button this and also holds the holes open better. Then I sewed on the buttons. These are old antique buttons are in a graduated series of colors - 4 deep wine, 3 medium tan, 2 natural white.
It all looks beautiful! I’ll photo it tomorrow. I love it’s versatility.
9/17/2017 Photo session with self timer. OM, this is so gorgeous that it’s easy to take photos that turn out ok.
Mr. Fassett, if you read this and I were in the same room, I would ask, “May I give you a big hug? I have too. This is so brilliant. The colors so beautiful one wants to cry with joy.” Then I’d give you a hug of appreciation and quickly go back to normal shy self.
So, if you read this, consider yourself hugged and appreciated!
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